The Two Of Us
by eccentricrabbit
Summary: What happens when Helen Magnus becomes ill? And what IS wrong with her? A good old hurt!comfort. I haven't written one in a while so I just couldn't resist! Will/Magnus. (Kind of).
1. Prologue

**Title**: The Two Of Us

**Pairing**: Magnus/Will (kind of)

**Description**: A good old hurt!comfort. I haven't written one in a while so I just couldn't resist!

**A/N**: For those of you concerned I won't finish this story - since I'm part-way through a few now - this one is finished. I'm still going over a fair bit of it so I'll just drip feed you chapters when I feel like it/when I am at someones house who has internet! ;-)

..

There was far too much happening in the large concrete warehouse for him to identify all of what was going on. The Baktalli made an awful racket moving around and they seemed to communicate with a loud growling noise that reverberated through his ribcage every single time. He really didn't think he would ever get used to some of the noises abnormals made. Like a lions roar – it _always_ set him on edge. But if he stopped and really listened to each sound separately (which he didn't have much of a chance to do while running after abnormals…) He _could_ pick out the Sanctuary team's guns going off, the odd yell from them and the thump as the Baktalli were stunned into submission. Something did feel _wrong_ though and it took him far too long to realise that there was one sound missing.

He shoved the ugly scaly green Baktalli in front of him with all his strength, the clumsy abnormal tumbled into a pile of boxes landing on his back and flailing clawed feet in the air. He quickly stunned the creature with his gun, knowing he would be out long enough for them to take him and secure him in the truck out back. He quickly passed on the information to the Big Guy; he was on collection duty tonight – dragging the stunned creatures out of the warehouse. (They were too heavy for the rest of the team). He glanced around reassuring himself there were no more coming at him and then headed towards the last place he had seen Magnus - it was _her _that he could no longer hear. Something had to have happened to her. She was always yelling out instructions; warning them, reminding them of all the information she had already drilled into them before they headed out. It was something she did on _every_ mission - without fail.

He took out his walkie. "Magnus, where are you?" He stood still a moment – again trying to interpret the noise around him but he gave up quickly and began picking his way over fallen boxes to where he had seen her last. "Guys you seen Magnus?"

"Nah, last I saw her was –" There was a crash and a bang then silence for a moment before Kate came back on her walkie "- down the aisle with the letter B… Or was it E? Something like that". Useless Kate… He chuckled. He knew where she meant though.

"Negative Will," Henry answered next.

"Me either," Big Foot answered a moment later.

"Magnus," he called as he checked side to side in case she had been knocked out. There had been a few box-landslides earlier when the Baktalli tried to climb the boxes, they did surprisingly figure out they were just too heavy to climb them and had now begun crawling under the shelves and trying to sneak up on us; tried being the operative word.

He frowned when he still heard no response from Magnus. She had the best reflexes out of the lot of them and the Baktalli were brutish but they were easy enough to take down. They just needed to re-capture them and house them safely at the Sanctuary. Kate said she had dealt with Baktalli once before and obviously Magnus had probably done so numerous times in her long life; both ladies said that the Baktalli had no hidden weapon… Because hell these days he didn't think he would be surprised if he discovered an abnormal with x-ray vision or the ability to shoot lasers from their eyes. So if they were useless at stealth (the boxes proved that) and had no especially dangerous weapons apart from their teeth and claws… What had happened to Magnus? He had an inkling there was something going on that they had missed but he shook it off for the moment.

Something made him stop and he quickly scanned the surrounding floor looking for something out of place. He quickly realised there was something black poking out from under one of the shelves, something that definitely didn't look like it belonged.

"Magnus," he moved as fast as he dared towards the black thing. He didn't want to attract the Baktalli's attention. Once he recognized it as Magnus' heeled black boot he moved faster and all but threw himself onto the ground to look under the shelf. She was definitely unconscious he checked her pulse from his awkward position on the floor and it seemed fairly normal so he placed his hands around her waist and half-slid half-crawled while dragging her as gently as possible out into the open aisle.

"Think we got them all," Kate's voice came over the walkie at the perfect time and he quickly relayed that he had found Magnus and she was injured, he would need a stretcher. He stroked her dark fringe from her face absently and his eyes roved her body looking for injuries, for the tell-tale red of blood. He couldn't see anything obvious and her breathing seemed normal… Maybe she _had_ knocked herself out…? Again something felt off but as much as he racked his brain he couldn't figure out _what_ was making him feel so antsy. It frustrated him… He wasn't used to failing to find the missing piece of the puzzle.

"Hey," Henry wheeled a stretcher alongside them. "What happened?"

"No idea," Will said trying to remain calm. He couldn't even _remember_ the last time Magnus had been injured and he didn't think he had _ever_ seen her unconscious apart from once or twice when she had fallen asleep in the lab, obviously a very different kind of unconscious from today.

"Not cool," Henry said his brows furrowing together as he checked Magnus for injuries as Will had before.

"I couldn't see anything. I hadn't heard her in a few minutes… But she can't have been down long." Will told him.

"Good spotting," Henry told him nodding approval. "Legs or head…?" Will was closest to her head so he silently answered by slipping his arm underneath her upper back and supporting her neck and head with his other arm. They gently lifted her onto the stretcher and she laid still not even a twitch if it wasn't for her chest rising and falling… He hated even thinking of Magnus dying. It made him feel nauseous and light headed. She was the most important person in his life now… Actually she was probably the most important person in everyone's lives at the Sanctuary.

Will opted to stay in the rear of the van with Magnus. He took his bosses hand and gently squeezed. _Magnus is tough, she will be fine. _He told himself sternly. The mission had gone well and The Big Guy had all the Baktalli in the truck ready to head back to the Sanctuary. The moment she woke she would tell him to get that worried look off his face. She always told him he needn't worry about her… "I've looked after myself for a lot longer than you have young Will," she would say and roll her eyes when he fussed over her – not that he had very many opportunities to do so.

**TBC**


	2. The First Sign Of Madness

A/N: Now that I've done the boring chapter… Onto the fun stuff!

..

She didn't wake on the drive back home… to the Sanctuary. Yes he felt like it was _home_ these days. Actually it was more of a home than he had ever experienced before if he was honest. When she still wasn't even stirring as they reached the infirmary The Big Guy shook his shaggy head worriedly. Will felt a shiver of fear at this. The Big Guy had known Magnus longer than any of the others present and if he was as concerned as he appeared… Things may be worse than Will first thought.

"Why don't you two transport the Baktalli into their enclosure?" He suggested to Kate and Henry who were hovering anxiously.

"I'll help you shift them, they are heavy." The Big Guy grumbled. "You know what to do Will?" Will nodded, a little nervous at being left to do it all alone. Was this a test?

Once the others had left the room he gathered everything he would need from the infirmary cupboards. He found he was constantly stopping to check on Magnus and ensuring she was still breathing. It was probably silly but he made sure to clatter around and make a lot more noise than usual, in case it woke her. He really didn't want to mess this up. Why had The Big Guy left him in charge for the _first_ time with _Magnus_ of all people?

He began by placing the digital thermometer into her ear. Her temperature wasn't too high _or_ too low so that was a good sign. He put on the stethoscope and remembered the first time he had put it on and how Magnus had laughed and _laughed_ seeing him put the ear buds in the wrong way. He looked down at her still body and the smile that had begun to tug at his mouth at the memory quickly disappeared. Next he checked her blood pressure - which was perfectly normal as well. He took blood and placed it in the lab next door to be checked by The Big Guy. Anything to do with the lab was _not_ his forte. There was no way he was going to attempt to use the complicated machines in there.

He took a deep breath and decided he had put off examining her for wounds long enough. While they had ascertained on sight that she had no serious injuries he still had to check for any minor injuries that might need tending.

He had seen a lot of her body over time but removing her clothes when she was unconscious felt like an invasion of privacy. He would also have to be blind not to notice how attractive his boss was, which could have made things complicated if his concern for her wellbeing wasn't at the forefront of his mind.

He began by unbuttoning her blouse trying not to touch the bare skin beneath it. He tugged it aside and as quickly as possible checked her upper body for wounds skimming his hands along her soft skin and prodding her gently while keeping an eye on her face in case she woke. Imagine if she woke? How would she feel having Will examine her? He hated waking to find her examining him when he had been knocked out. He knew it was necessary but it was going to take a lot of getting used to – finding yourself in your underwear with someone's eyes on you was really quite disconcerting. He then averted his eyes while he tried to put the blouse back on without looking. Unfortunately that didn't go quite as planned and he managed to button it up completely wrong. So long as she was covered he figured it would do for now.

Now it was time for the part he dreaded the most, removing her skirt and stockings. Unfortunately this was rather awkward. He had to unzip the skirt and shimmy it down her legs and drop it to the floor at the end of the bed. _That wasn't too bad._ He congratulated himself. But then his eyes fell onto her stocking clad legs… He had thought of her legs at other slightly more appropriate times and felt himself thinking they were rather nice legs. Unfortunately his brain made things worse by reminding him how awkward he is at taking stockings off a live and willing female let alone an unconscious one. He closed his eyes to clear his mind; he didn't need to be thinking like this. He managed to get them off and dropped them along with the skirt. He examined her legs his hands trembling slightly as they reached her inner thighs. _Please don't wake up._ He found two tiny spots on her inner ankle that looked like simple mosquito bites – though in their world the word "bites" and "simple" probably shouldn't go together… So though they appeared rather innocuous he wasn't going to ignore them. He gently touched the spots to see if they were hot or swollen.

He still didn't think she had been caught unaware by the Baktalli. He couldn't shake that feeling they had missed something and these bites could potentially be it, so far they were the only things that seemed out of place. He decided against putting her stockings back on it seemed like far too much effort. Just as he finished putting her skirt back on The Big Guy returned and mumbled something before heading into the lab - presumably to check her blood.

Will made her comfortable and set up a heart monitor tucking the blankets around her – but not too tight that she would panic if she woke. He ran a finger down her face and stared intently willing her to open her eyes, or make _some_ kind of movement. Nothing happened but he continued to stand watch until his legs ached so badly he _had_ to move.

"Hey, anything…?" Will asked as he sat on a stool in the lab watching The Big Guy look through the blood results. But his eyes still flicked over to the monitor attached to the wall as it showed the feed from the camera in the infirmary.

"Something," he said gruffly.

"Okay…" Will trailed off waiting for The Big Guy to elaborate… But he didn't. "Something – what…?" He prompted.

"I don't know," he admitted. "I think we should give her an MRI, can you bring her through?"

"Sure," he went back in half-hoping in the few seconds between checking the monitor and entering the room she would have woken – but she hadn't. He wheeled her through and helped The Big Guy lift her into the MRI machine. He moved a safe distance away but stayed in the room in case she woke. He couldn't even hear her breathing over the whirring of the machine. He stayed where he was until The Big Guy called him up to the observatory room.

"What is it?" Will asked eyeing the monitor over his shoulder.

"I don't know," oh he was getting _so_ sick of hearing that.

"Helpful," he said sarcastically. The Big Guyd turned and glared at him. He shrunk back against the wall, probably not a good idea to antagonise someone that size. He looked back over at the screen it showed an image of her brain there _was_ something cloudy that didn't look as though it belonged but he really didn't know how to read these scans. He stared helplessly through the window at the MRI machine.

"I think we should take her back to her bedroom," Will said surprising himself as he had barely let the thought settle before he blurted it out.

"Mmph, why…?" The Big Guy asked, but he didn't seem to be disagreeing.

"It just doesn't feel _right_ her being in the infirmary. We can take turns keeping an eye on her until she wakes…"

They made it up as they went really. No one had seen Magnus this ill before. Well not that Will knew of anyway. The Big Guy may have but he wasn't really the talkative kind so if he had he certainly wasn't sharing the experience.

Since they didn't know what was wrong they were going to have to contact Declan and see if he could organise a team of doctors to help them out. While Henry, Kate and The Big Guy left to video-call him Will took first watch on Magnus.

She looked much better tucked up in her bed. She had a large mahogany four poster bed with silky black sheets and a plain red bedcover. He liked her room it was very _plain_ though. Three walls were white and the one her bed was against was the same red as her bedcover. She had matching mahogany bedside tables. She had a window seat with a cosy looking mink blanket folded on one side. He could definitely picture her curled up on her window seat wrapped in the blanket and staring out the window. Before he could really take in the rest of the room Magnus gasped. He quickly stood from the seat he had dragged in and placed beside her bed and watched as her eyes fluttered open. She stared up at him wide-eyed she flung her head side to side as if trying to figure out where she was.

"What are _you_ doing here?" Her voice... What the _hell_? It was high pitched and… Suddenly he remembered another time he had heard her voice sound like that. They were in a submarine at the time and… He backed away from the bed at the memories. _Uh oh…_

"GET OUT!" She yelled as she suddenly sat upright her eyes bulging crazily and her hands fisted in her blankets.

"Magnus please… calm down…" He moved forward and reached for her forgetting his released the blanket and slapped his hand away. "You were injured… We are just talking to the doctors now… It's okay…" He realised he didn't _sound_ calm he didn't _sound_ sure of himself… She picked up on this obviously and before he knew it she standing _on_ her bed. He backed away again this time towards her bedroom door. What on earth was going on? She certainly hadn't been infected by the same thing as in the submarine… Had something _else_ infected her? Made her crazy? Before he could back out the door she had launched herself at him and pinned him to the ground her face so close he could feel her hot breath on his lips.

"You don't _know_ what is wrong so don't try and console me!" He wriggled helplessly under her. Now what? How far gone was she? She certainly felt stronger than normal and he could barely move underneath her. Did he risk kicking her? Did he _want_ to kick her? _No!_ But how dangerous was she right now? She was panting a little staring hard into his eyes but she said nothing more and he noticed something… Her eyes were flicking from him and then around the room and every now and again the mask of anger would slip into a terrified expression on her face. Was she fighting the madness? Before he could figure out what to do the door swung open and Henry walked in. He quickly assessed the situation and disappeared slamming the door behind him. What the hell! Was Henry leaving him to… to what? He didn't know. What was she capable of in this state? But within seconds of leaving Henry was back and Magnus hadn't tried anything other than restraining him for reasons still unknown to him.

"Doc…" Henry said as he edged himself through the door and into the bedroom. "You okay?" He asked looking at me and obviously trying to ask me what the hell was going on.

"NO!" She screamed viciously spittle flying from her lips she loosened her grip on him slightly as she turned her attention to Henry and he easily pushed her off and pinned _her_ to the ground. He held her as tightly as he dared and placed a knee on either side of her hips to prevent her getting up.

"Sedative Henry," he said calmly without looking over his shoulder.

"Let me go!" She looked up at Will and he saw the madness trying to get out. "THIS IS HARRASSMENT!" Her tone had gone from angry to _yelling_ in only seconds and he just couldn't keep up. Henry came over and held her legs down as she had begun trying to wiggle out from beneath Will. He felt terrible holding her down like this but it wasn't really _her_ it was just whatever was wrong with her brain… That's what he told himself anyway.

"Kate's bringing the sedative," Henry said. "What the _hell_ happened?"

"She woke up like this," Will said grinding his teeth together and holding on for dear life as she bucked beneath him. Thankfully only moments later Kate entered and as she always did she took in the situation extremely fast and rushed over to them quickly sedating her.

It took mere seconds for her to suddenly stop fighting and slump to the floor. Kate and Henry helped Will get her back into bed then left to update The Big Guy. He sat on the edge of the bed and took her hand in his.

"I'm so sorry Helen," he said softly. He rested his sweaty forehead against their hands and sighed heavily. He hoped they figured out what was wrong and _fast_!

**TBC**


	3. The Best Medicine

He woke to find himself half on her bed and half off. Their hands were still together and at some point her fingers had entwined with his. He pushed himself back up onto the bed carefully, his back protesting with noisy pops. He looked down at her face her expression was soft, her eyelids fluttered now and again but she slept deeply her breathing slow and even. How long had _he_ slept? He checked the clock on her wall, it was after midnight. He should wake Kate; she was supposed stay with her next. He grabbed the stethoscope they had brought up and check her heart rate. He noted it down with a frown. It was too high. He had lined up the medical supplies they might need on her dresser, as he walked over to return the stethoscope he heard her stirring behind his back. He dropped the stethoscope and spun around, he had to be on his toes. What if she woke as crazy as she had been before?

Her eyes opened far faster than the last time and he automatically pulled away in case she lunged at him again. She just stared at him. Her eyes were very big but this time he saw no madness, only fear. He came back to her side taking her hand once more.

"How do you feel?"

"L-like h-hell," she stuttered blinking as she spoke as if surprised her voice sounded so weak. "What… what…." She couldn't seem to finish her question.

"Something happened to you at the warehouse. We were getting the Baktalli and…"

"Oh," she cut in, obviously remembering.

"You weren't attacked by them that we know of?" He hoped in saying this it would encourage her to tell him what exactly happened; they really needed to know so they could help her get better. But in response she just closed her eyes.

"What hurts?" He squeezed her hand. She was obviously in pain.

"Head…" He frowned and used his free hand to stroke her hair.

"Do you remember what happened?" He asked as he weighed up how much to tell her. Would she freak on him again if he said too much? "In all honesty… we have no idea what is going on." He stopped stroking her hair. He should call the others. He fumbled and dropped his phone.

"I think … I think it… was…" She went silent as he bent to retrieve the phone and he feared something had happened in the split second he had looked down. Fear iced through his veins as he got back up to her level. Her eyes were closed – he checked her breathing but it was normal. She had just fallen asleep again! He couldn't believe it… One minute she was awake and the next second she was asleep.

He rubbed his face anxiously with both hands. He called The Big Guy as planned and paced the room quietly describing what had just happened. They were still waiting to hear back from Declan's doctors - they were still doing research.

He hung up and sat on her window seat wrapping the mink blanket around himself. It smelled of vanilla and it took his tired brain a moment to realise why he was suddenly grinning like a fool. She _always_ smelled of vanilla. Whenever she got close enough, and especially when she hugged him he would breathe in the scent and it would instantly relax him. He considered dropping the blanket as the smell was making his eyes heavy… But oh how he adored the smell - the smell of _her_.

Shit. This time he threw the blanket to the floor. What was he _thinking_! This is _Magnus_… The Helen _Magnus_ he was thinking about. He couldn't think like that. He glared at the blanket and took the hard seat beside her bed. He had never thought of her like that and now was _definitely_ not a good time to let his brain wander down that track.

He stopped checking the clock after an hour or so and just sat in a kind of stupor staring at her – but thinking nothing. It was almost like being in that twilight zone between waking and sleeping. She woke after about four hours of that and this time he knew the madness was back immediately and he ran for her dresser where a sedative sat prepared for just this scenario.

"WILLIAM!" She all but screeched his name, his full name. _Uh oh._ "WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN MY ROOM?" She threw her blankets off the bed. She sounded as if she was accusing him of… As suddenly as the madness had come on it disappeared again. Her arms dropped limply into her lap and she looked down at herself. "Why am I fully dressed?" When she looked up he saw _normal_ Magnus. He hadn't realised how tense he was until his whole body relaxed and he had to grab the dresser to balance himself. She really was curious as to why she was in bed but fully clothed. He bet she was never lazy enough to just throw herself into bed without undressing first. It almost brought a smile to his face, _almost._

"You aren't well Helen…" He told her softly. He held the sedative behind his back just in case she lost it again. He moved closer to the bed but very slowly still trying to decide what to do. Should he sedate her just in case? Or had she truly snapped out of it?

"I-I know," she says quietly. "Let me get into my pyjama's Will," she gestured for her bedroom door. He shook his head but she wasn't looking at him anymore she was looking behind him… at her dresser.

"WHAT ARE THOSE!" Oh no. Mad Magnus back again. She ran past him and he caught her arm she was glaring at the two other syringes filled with sedative sitting on her dresser. "You are crazy, you are all crazy. You are drugging me!" She says angrily trying to shake him off her arm. "Why would you drug me? What have I EVER done to you! I have taken you in; I have given you EVERYTHING!" Her voice kept switching between yelling and a very frightening low tone. The yelling was almost preferable the other was just plain creepy she almost sounded demon possessed… _If_ he believed in that. He still wasn't sure.

"Magnus… Helen… It's okay. We are helping you." He was proud of how calm and self-assured he sounded. "We _care_ about you." She went quiet and stopped struggling for a moment but her arm was still very tense beneath his fingertips so he didn't release her. Suddenly she turned on him and punched him in the cheek. He managed to keep hold of her and swing his other arm from behind his back to put the needle into her arm he had only managed to push in a little when she went limp again. He quickly threw the needle aside and caught her before she fell.

"Will?" She looked up and the _normal_ Magnus stared up. He was so confused and his exhausted brain couldn't figure out what to do. His cheek throbbed but he had to ignore that for the moment. "Will?" She repeated her voice so quiet and fearful that he bent down and gave her a lingering kissing on her forehead knowing for once he would get away with such a sure sign of affection.

"It's okay, we will figure this out." He smiled down at her and she gave him a weak smile in return. "Should I let you get changed and then maybe you should get back to sleep?" She raised her head from his arms slowly and as she carefully got to her feet he noticed her hands trembling and he took one in his hand and squeezed it. "Where do you keep your night… things?" He felt a little uncomfortable again like he had when he examined her yesterday.

"Third drawer down," she tottered over to the bed like she was drunk and sat heavily on the edge. He tugged out a silk nightie first and quickly tried to hide it from her. He hoped to find something less revealing hidden beneath it, to no avail.

"Er…" He held it out to her, feeling a blush rise to his cheeks.

"A singlet and track pants will be fine," she gave him an amused smile and he quickly stuffed the tiny little nightie back into the drawer along with all the other silk and lace items he had just discovered. He tried _really_ hard not to picture her in them.

"Second drawer singlets, should be some track pants at the bottom of it too" she said tiredly. He turned and noticed her feet remained on the floor but she had lain back on her bed and was staring at the ceiling. He rummaged quickly through the drawer and handed her the clothes. He turned his back to give her privacy and stared out the window… That was until he realised he could see her reflection in it! Before he could avert his gaze he saw she had removed her blouse but was sitting with her hands limply in her lap and didn't seem to be doing anything.

"You okay?" He asked softly his gaze still on her reflection which was somehow easier than turning around.

"I have no energy; I can't even…" She trailed off. "Can you help me?" He turned and her eyes were looking imploringly into his. He knew she found it just as hard as he did to ask for help.

"Er," he blushed again. "How… what… do you want me to do?" He hated feeling this flustered.

"Could you please unclasp my bra?" She turned her back towards him and held her singlet against her chest so that even if he undid her bra he wouldn't be able to see anything. He sat on the bed behind her and tried to stop his hands shaking before he touched her back. There was something so intimate about removing a ladies bra… It was one of his favourite moments of undressing a woman… And while he had never fantasised about Magnus before he definitely knew she was beautiful. How could he NOT notice that? He let his hands drop once he had finished, but his fingertips burned where they had touched her bare skin. "Okay, you can turn back around now." She told him when he remained sitting awkwardly behind her.

This time he faced the bedroom door, no reflections.

"Are you done?" He asked when he heard no more movement behind him.

"Yes," he turned back around slowly. She seemed to have put on the singlet on but the track pants lay unused on the floor next to her skirt. She was back in bed curled on her side dark hair fanning out on the pillow. "Too much effort," she gestured at the floor at the discarded clothes. She then patted the edge of her bed closest to her. "I'm so tired Will, I hope that we get some answers soon." She raised her eyes to his and then looked at his hands. Did she want him to hold her hand again? Or was he reading too much into it? Before he could make a decision she reached forward and took his hand in hers and entwined their fingers. "Will you stay here?" He couldn't believe it. He never, ever thought he would hear something like that from her mouth. She was actually asking him to stay? To look after her…? She must be sick.

"Of course," he said quickly. She closed her eyes and he found the urge to run his fingers through her hair irresistible. It was so soft and if he leaned in a little closer… yes… vanilla. Her breathing evened out again and he sighed with relief. Hopefully by the time she woke next they would know what was wrong.

**TBC.**


	4. Taking Turns

He was just too tired. He kept nodding off and waking at an awkward angle on the edge of Magnus' bed so he gave up and called Kate. He felt a little guilty after Magnus' request but technically he had stayed with her until she fell asleep – and longer actually. She had been sleeping for a half hour or so now. The sun was up outside but he desperately needed to sleep – a proper sleep so he could be refreshed for when she woke next.

When Kate arrived he updated her on their night. He slowly released Magnus hand which twitched slightly. "Could you…" he gestured to her hand and Kate quickly took it in her own small hand. Kate wasn't really one for physical contact unless it involved smacking you upside the head… He smiled internally. "Wake me when she does." He told her. Kate nodded and waved him out of the room. He ran his fingers through his hair anxiously and took one more look at Magnus' sleeping form.

..

By the time he reached his bedroom he felt more awake so took the time to shower and change. He slipped into his bed but his mind raced so fast that he couldn't settle. He tossed and turned his brain going through all the things that Magnus could potentially have wrong with her. He desperately wanted to get up and start researching even though he knew there were already plenty of people already doing that. He kept shifting in the bed but eventually he must have fallen asleep because the next thing he knew he was answering his phone bleary eyed and voice rough.

"Hurry Will! She's awake. I screwed up. She's locked herself in her bathroom." Kate hung up and he leapt out of bed throwing on his robe before running up to Magnus' bedroom. He arrived to Kate banging on the door. "Let me in Doc, just let me in it's going to be okay!"

"What happened?" He asked quickly. Things had been knocked off her dresser pillows were all over the room and her bedcovers had mostly been thrown off the bed again. There had been a struggle obviously.

"She woke asking for you, when I told her you were sleeping…" Kate trailed off a moment her face scrunched up in concern he noticed she had a little blood smudged beneath her nose. Magnus must have hit her too. "She sounded calm at first but when I said you weren't here she just lost it – started screaming… I tried to stop her, sedate her… But she managed to get into the bathroom." Kate waved her arm at the closed bathroom door. "She's locked it. I don't know how to get her out. I'm sorry…"

"Go get yourself fixed up. I'll get her out." He told her and patted her shoulder as she passed him to leave the bedroom. He sounded confident but inside he was a mess. How the hell would he get her out? He placed his ear against the door to see if he could figure out what was going on.

"_NO you can't come back. I'm here, I'm staying_." That was creepy demon-possessed voice.

"Will… Will…" Normal Magnus voice… well scared Magnus voice really.

"_He can't help you. HE LEFT YOU! He doesn't CARE about you!"_ More yelling from demon voice… He knocked on the door. It sounded as though she was fighting the demon inside her. He found himself becoming more and more sure that was what had happened and it chilled him to the bone.

"Magnus, it's me – Will."

"Oh Will," he heard her footsteps and she opened the door. She looked as though she was going to throw herself into his arms but suddenly she ran backwards and fell to the floor her back against the bathtub. "Go AWAY!" She yelled.

"_No, I'm not going ANYWHERE!"_ Demon voice again. The bathroom was a disaster everything seemed to have been pulled out of her cabinets and there was water and… blood. There was blood on the floor.

"Magnus… what happened in here?" He took one careful step forward, he felt as though he was walking on egg shells.

"_Shut up Will, just shut up. You can't do anything right can you? You always screw things up."_ Demon… Did he try and reason with it? Or did he go back to the bedroom and grab the sedative? Why hadn't he brought one in? At least she wasn't throwing herself around the room this time. She suddenly stood and waved her arm at the wall with a terrifying screech that sounded inhuman and shook him to the core. It was then he noticed that she had splattered blood on the wall by waving her arm like that.

"Magnus," he forgot himself for a moment and quickly closed the gap between them taking her face in his hands and making her look him in the eye. The madness seemed to fade and tears welled in her eyes.

"Will?" Sad, scared Magnus. No demon. Thank _God_!

"Oh Helen…" He gently pushed the robe she now wore off her shoulders it slipped to the floor and he looked her over. Her singlet had a few spots of blood. His eyes moved down to her arms… There was blood smeared all over them and it dripped onto her thighs and ran down her bare legs. "Oh no… no…" Fear built up inside him. She'd cut her wrists! With what though? He didn't have time to figure it out he grabbed the nearest towel and held it tightly against the wrist that seemed to be bleeding the most.

"I don't… it _made_ me do it Will… I didn't _want_ to do this." Tears had begun falling rapidly and he looked into her eyes his own eyes stinging. He couldn't lose her. Neither cut seemed deep enough to allow her to bleed out but it still scared him. He grabbed another towel and made her sit on the floor. He placed the towels on her thighs and showed her how to flip her wrists and press down into the towels to stop the bleeding – she seemed incapable of doing anything but crying unless he physically showed her how. He rummaged through the mess on the floor until he found a first aid kit.

"It's okay," he murmured hoping the fear inside him wasn't escaping into his words. He wet a cloth and flipped her arms back over so he could see the damage more clearly. They were only oozing a little blood now and he sighed with relief. "It's okay," he said again as he carefully cleaned the blood around the wounds and scrubbed gently at her thighs to remove the blood. She sat crying, bloody and wearing only a singlet and underwear and here he was kneeling on the wet bloody floor cleaning her up. If she had been more aware she would have been extremely upset about the situation – or maybe that was why she was crying? She felt so helpless? He bandaged her arms and again without thinking he kissed her on the forehead again. Why was he doing these things? Things he normally wouldn't dream of? He could only blame it on fear he hated not knowing what was wrong with her, he hated seeing her in pain.

"Can – do you think you can walk?" He asked her gently and he rose to his feet ignoring the mess around them.

"I-I don't know…" She placed a hand on either side of her wincing in pain. He bent down and took her elbow helping her to her feet but she only made it a few steps before suddenly falling. He caught her and made the quick decision that he could probably lift her weight, especially with the adrenaline running through him at the moment. He scooped her up and took her to the bed she snuggled into him her wet cheek against his chest and her hair brushing his chin.

Once he had settled her under the blankets he took his now normal seat on the edge of her bed and took her hand as usual, but she tugged pulling him closer.

"Lay next to me Will," she shuffled over to make room and he stared at the bed and then at her. _You can't, it's taking advantage Will. She's sick. Not to mention she's dangerous… What if she wakes up and hurts you… kills you!_ He discovered his inner thoughts were feeling rather dramatic. Magnus? Kill him? This was highly unlikely. She was clearly fighting the madness/demon side of her… He ignored the thoughts swirling through his head and lay next to her. He lay on the outer bed covers not underneath with her and he made sure not to touch any part of her apart from leaving his hand in hers. But it seemed she had other ideas and she moved as close as she could with the blanket-barrier between them her hand leaving his and instead wrapping around his waist and holding tightly. "Thank you," she said softly. "For everything…"

**TBC.**


	5. Answers

When he woke she was no longer beneath the blankets. She was on the bedcover alongside him. He moved slightly to see if he could escape the tight embrace she had him. Her head was nestled beneath his chin and one of her legs was flung over his body pinning him and an arm was tightly wound around his chest. It didn't help that his robe had opened in the night so now _he_ was virtually only in his boxers – she in her underwear and well… Their sweaty legs had glued themselves to each other. He wiggled slightly but she didn't move.

So he found himself lying there trying to focus on anything but _her_. Heavy rain lashed the window and the ticking of her clock… footsteps in the… oh no in the hallway. There was a knock on the door and he tried again to disentangle himself from her but like a monkey she clung to him even in sleep. _Shit_. He closed up his robe as best he could, squeezed it underneath her arm but he was unable to remove her leg and he called for whoever it was to come in sighing internally. This was entirely innocent but it looked decidedly bad.

It was The Big Guy who entered the room. Will gave him credit; he barely batted an eye at the strange sight before him.

"Anti-dote," he grunted. Will would have leapt to his feet if he could have. Anti-dote! Did that mean they knew what was wrong with her?

"What is it? What does she have?" Before The Big Guy could answer Henry stormed in through the open bedroom door – he DID pause looking at Will with a frown…

After a few moments of absolute and extremely awkward silence Henry admitted he had heard she had become attached to Will and he let out a good-natured laugh.

"Yeah this wasn't… my doing." Will pressed his lips together and hoped like hell he wasn't blushing. "So what does she have?" He swung his head between the two waiting to see who would answer first. As usual Henry beat The Big Guy to it.

"She was bitten by _this_…" Henry seemed to be holding a folder but Will's still sleepy brain hadn't even registered it when he walked in the room. "Arachna-scarda, I don't even think it had anything to do with the Baktalli it was just our bad luck to enter a warehouse with one of these rare species. They rarely bite either unless feeling _very_ threatened which obviously it would have with all the chaos." The spider… or abnormal-spider was hideous. It was as big as a tarantula but somehow even uglier all its eyes red and it seemed to have ugly wart-like things all over its body. He shuddered. They had been running around with _that_ underfoot?

"Symptoms…?" He prompted.

"Oh yeah… The victim virtually turns into a manic-schizophrenic. They appear to have two distinct personalities usually their own-self and then a personality hell-bent on hurting those around them and themselves." Henry said shuffling from foot-to-foot in his normal way. He hated standing still it seemed, he was always far more relaxed in his "office".

"That explains a lot…" Not demon possession then, good! He updated them on the night before – Kate, the bathroom, her wrists, and finally he managed to explain how needy and terrified she was hence why he was in her bed. "Otherwise I would be over there…" He waved his arm at the window seat. "But she was so unlike herself…" He trailed off; both The Big Guy and Henry were nodding. They understood.

"Guess it is best you stay with her then until she feels better. She needs to take that anti-dote once a day for at least seven days. She will need to be closely supervised for at least a few more days until the poison is out of her system. We will do daily MRI's until her brain… _thing_ has cleared." Henry shrugged at his less than eloquent description. "It's like a build-up of the poisons in her body or something – they head to the brain for some reason." That explains the weird cloudiness in her brain then.

The Big Guy administered the first dose and unfortunately crazy-Magnus woke as he pulled the needle out. The room was quickly cleared of everyone but Will. She yanked herself away from him their skin making a sucking noise as their thighs detached from each other. He was laying there feeling rather vulnerable and trying not to scare her so he raised his hands pathetically to ward her off. She knelt on the other side of the bed glaring at him.

"I need to get outside. This is ridiculous… I always wake up and find YOU here; you are always trying to bring _her_ back. I am here to stay so don't you think your stupid needles will fix me!" She turned her head muttering so he couldn't hear her and suddenly leapt of the bed and made a run for the bedroom door. Thankfully they had remembered to lock it and she began thumping on it with her fists. "LET ME OUT," she cried at the door.

"Magnus… Helen…" She spun on her heel and began heading for the windows. "NO!" He yelled and leapt from the bed and grabbed her wrist she dropped to the floor with a cry and he quickly let go worried he had hurt her. She pulled his legs out from under him and once more pinned him to the floor breathing heavily but saying nothing her eyes kept flicking from side to side and he knew _his_ Magnus was fighting for control. "Helen," he tried her first name again, it had begun to sound very familiar calling her _Helen _and he suddenly wondered how she would respond to that once she was better. Would she allow him to call her by her first name? Would he still feel like he wanted to? She shook her head and then collapsed on top of him. He gently lifted her shoulders up and she looked down at him, a miserable expression on her face but a very normal look in her eyes.

"Sorry Will," she mumbled. Thank _God_ she was back. He tried to ignore how her body felt on top of his, again with not being something he should be thinking about nor was it an appropriate time for it. He shifted her off his body and sat up.

"Well we know what's wrong now," he told her smiling. She sat on the floor her back against the end of the bed so he came and sat with her placing a friendly hand on her knee. _Bare knee_. Would she take it the wrong way? He went to move it but she placed her hand over his stopping him. He cleared his throat nervously. "We – um – we have given you the anti-dote. You should feel better soon." He suddenly realised she hadn't had anything to eat or drink in twelve hours and neither had he. "Are you hungry?" She looked over at him raising an eye brow at the change in subject.

"I don't even know anymore," she sighed.

"Well I'll get some tea and toast brought up. I'm certainly hungry. In the mean-time let's get you back into bed and I'll get you a glass of water." She made no move to get up so he pulled his hand back and nudged her playfully in her side with his elbow. "C'mon, you can't say you didn't enjoy your cuddle last night?" He was surprised to see a blush rise to her cheeks. Helen Magnus – blush! Not something you see every day.

"It was certainly very comforting having you there… It – whatever it is – really doesn't like you. Somehow you manage to make me stronger and I can fight it."

"Hopefully you soon won't have to fight it. It must be really…" he couldn't think of the right word… Frightening? Terrifying? He couldn't imagine how scary it was not being able to stop hurting those around you or yourself… losing _you_ to _it_… Even if it wasn't a _real_ demon.

He helped her to her feet and she made it to the bed herself while he called The Big Guy and asked him to bring up food and tea. He hoped he made it quick in case this _normal_ Magnus didn't last long. He tightened the robe around him feeling a little self-conscious and wishing he had more clothes on – he supposed she felt the same though. He went into the bathroom to get her water.

When he came back with it she had placed pillows behind her back and she was sitting upright. She was pale and her hair was messy but she still looked beautiful and elegant. He handed her the water and stood back. She lifted it to her lips and took great gulping mouthfuls in such an un-Magnus like fashion that he couldn't help but smile.

"Wipe that smile off your face young man," she told him placing the empty glass on her bedside table. She sighed and rubbed her eyes. "I feel like I've been asleep a week."

"I don't," she looked at him and sighed again.

"No you don't. I would like to tell you to go get a proper sleep, or at least get a break from this room – from _me_… But I think its best you stick around for now. You… calm the beast." She chuckled and he felt a weight lift off his shoulders all of a sudden. He knew the anti-dote wasn't working yet but now that they all knew what they were fighting it made things easier. He sat on the window seat and turned so he could see her.

"I hate to be nosey at a time like this… But while you are _you_ and you aren't sleeping…" He stopped talking hoping she would give him permission to ask questions.

"Ask away, it's the least I can do with everything you have done for me." She smiled; an adorable half smile and he had to look away.

"So er – what does it feel like? Fighting said beast?"

"Like there is someone inside my head trying to take over my body." Fear flicked through her face and he felt guilty for making her think about it. "I can feel it, just sitting there biding its time… Waiting for me to weaken so it can break through… And when it does _I'm_ the one sitting in the backseat watching what I'm doing and not being able to stop."

"Oh," he didn't even know how to respond to that. He couldn't even imagine how scared she must be, even now.

"I'm sorry about you and Kate… I hope Kate's nose is okay?"

"I'm sure she will be fine, it didn't look broken from what I could see."

"And you?"

"I'm fine. I've been through worse." He touched his cheek it was tender and he hadn't looked in the mirror but he figured he would probably be beginning to show a bruise by now. The Big Guy arrived with a tray of toast and two steaming mugs of tea. He craved a coffee but didn't think he should irritate Magnus right now by asking for a coffee, so he would just have to make do with tea.

"How are you?" The Big Guy grumbled after placing the tray on Magnus lap.

"Feeling… fine at the moment thank you." She patted his large hand. "And thank you for all your hard work since I have been sick."

"It's okay," he patted her shoulder and while most of us winced at his strength as his idea of a "pat" is more of a "thump" Magnus as usual didn't even flinch. She did introduce him as one of her oldest and dearest friends so he supposed she had plenty of years to get used to it.

Once The Big Guy had left Will sat on the edge of her bed the tray between them. They ate in silence and he couldn't help it - but he continued to check her face ensuring she was still _her_. The food made him feel much more human and he could see it was making Magnus feel tired – but a good kind of tired the healing 'I've got a full belly kind of tired.'

"Sleep," he urged and he removed the tray from her bed. She snuggled down and sighed deeply.

"I hate to ask but…" he hesitated but for a lot less than he had the last time she had asked. He lay on the outside of the covers again and she curled around him but her grip around his waist wasn't nearly as tight.

"I just feel so much safer. It's scary going to sleep because _it_ might take over."

"It's okay, you don't need an excuse to need a cuddle Magnus," he said and turned to face her slightly and her eyes filled with tears again. He turned fully to face her and gently tucked her hair behind her ears and let his hand travel down her face to cup her chin. "Truly, it's okay. _You_ are okay. You will be back to yourself in no time… And you know what? We can forget this even happened if it makes you feel…" Feel what? He didn't know.

"I don't want to forget it…" She nudged his hand with her chin and smiled at him her own hand reaching for his face and mimicking his previous motion – her soft hand touching his chin. "I know it can't continue when I'm better so I'd better make the most of all this _cuddling_ while I'm sick," she moved closer tucking her head against his chest and wrapping her arm around him once more. He fell asleep to her warm breath against his skin and the smell of vanilla. He was pretty sure he might be in heaven…

**TBC.**


	6. The Great Escape

A/N: What the heck? My three chapter story has become a rambling fluffy six chapter fic? Jeez muse… My poor fingers could do with a break from all this typing!

..

He woke before her and she had once again escaped her blankets to curl against him. He wasn't quite as stuck this time though so he slipped out of the bed. He got himself a glass of water and made his way to the bathroom to quietly tidy things up for her. It was getting to dinner time and Henry had texted to say he and Kate would be up with dinner and to text when she woke up so long as she didn't wake up _crazy_.

He felt strange picking up her personal items… Especially her razors he threw the one she had obviously used to cut herself into the bin with a shiver. It was lucky she hadn't done anything worse to herself. He hadn't checked her wounds in a while actually – he must remember to do that after she had eaten dinner. Once he finished cleaning the bathroom he returned to her bedroom and it took him only a few seconds to realise that she was _gone_. Shit. The bedroom door was wide open – someone had forgotten to lock it.

"Magnus," he ran out into the hallway while digging his cell phone out of his robe pocket.

"She got out of her room," he didn't bothering greeting Henry just told him what happened and hung up throwing his phone back into his pocket and running down the hallway. He had _no_ idea which way she had gone so he just chose at random.

"Helen," he called knowing that her first name brought out more emotion from _her_ so that _it_ had a hard-time fighting her. His phone rang as he headed down the next hallway checking each room thoroughly as he passed.

"She's in her office," Henry told him.

"Seriously…?" He shook his head. Was she okay then?

"I think you had better hurry down there… Kate is waiting outside she doesn't want to make her worse." _Make her worse_.

"What's happening?" He asked as he ran for the nearest lift.

"Um… I'm not exactly sure but on the screen it looks like she's throwing a tantrum. Hopefully there is something _not_ broken when you get down there… She's going to kill us when she gets better and sees her office..."

"Yeah…" Will wasn't worried about broken things. All he cared about was her and whether she was okay. He didn't want her hurting any more than she already did.

He nearly smacked straight into Kate as he rushed around the corner. She shook her head her eyes wide. "I can't believe it," she whispered. He checked her nose while he was standing there, it definitely looked okay.

"You okay?" He asked his eyes moving over her shoulder and towards Magnus office door.

"Yeah, fine. Go to her." She gestured to the door with a smile. "I think she needs the magic Will fairy to switch her back to normal…" Kate smirked. He shrugged his shoulders; he didn't know why Magnus got better with him around so he didn't really know how to answer that one.

"Helen…" He entered the room slowly and tried to appear as non-threatening as possible. Crazy eyes caught his and she scowled in his direction.

"_Not you!"_ It was rather scary hearing the voice from her again, the last time he had spoken to her she had been normal for longer than he could remember since she got sick. He had kind of hoped the anti-dote was already working. "_Ugh!"_ She made some unintelligible noises and tossed an entire drawer onto the floor.

"What are you looking for?"

"_Key to get out of this place…"_ She told him truthfully.

"I don't think you're going to find it in here."

"_Oh, I think you are wrong lad. I think I will find it in here_." She pounced on something between the papers that had just fluttered to the floor – she looked like a cat catching a mouse. She even held the key up triumphantly. He tried his best not to smile – she had only found the key to the gym downstairs he knew Magnus kept the key in there. Was the real Magnus somehow confusing the "beast" as she called it? She narrowed her eyes in his direction. "_This is the front door key isn't it? The big door downstairs that just won't budge… I need a key."_

"Yes," he pretended to be disappointed she had found it and hung his head – mostly to hide is expression though. He was a _terrible_ liar.

"_You lie_," she threw the key at him but it bounced harmlessly of his still ducked head. He quickly looked up at her again so he wouldn't miss her throwing something heavier at him. She stood panting in the middle of the floor, but the tell-tale flick of her eyes told him that Magnus would be back any minute now with some luck. He moved forward slowly preparing himself to catch her if she fell as the fight to reach the surface seemed to exhaust her.

"Helen…" He caught her at the exact moment she fell and he knelt holding her close.

"Th-thanks," she stuttered.

"Kate," Kate came in her eyes quickly scanning the room for any threats before approaching them and crouching on the floor.

"You okay Doc?" Magnus smiled up at Kate but didn't move from his arms.

"Maybe we could have some dinner and maybe another cup of tea…? I'll take her back to her room."

"Yes sir," Kate ruffled his hair like he was a child and he rolled his eyes so she wouldn't see. He scooped Magnus up in his arms and cradled her against his chest as he had done earlier. It was a lot further to go this time but he once more had adrenaline on his side.

..

"Mm," she sighed as he held a cold cloth to her forehead and rubbed his free hand up and down her arm soothingly.

"You can't have been gone more than twenty minutes… I wasn't in your bathroom long."

"Yeah she… I mean… I.. Oh I don't know… We – checked the front door and a few others but they were locked so came to the conclusion we had already been shut in. I somehow managed to create a memory of myself placing the front door key in my office although it was vague enough for her to have to search… I knew I had to bide my time until you came to the rescue," she grinned cheekily up at him. "My knight in shining armour, you are."

"Yes… though I don't think a robe is classed as shining armour… Although I must say you being ill has given me an excuse to wear my pyjamas for an entire day!" He chuckled.

"Always looking on the bright side," they both laughed at this definitely wasn't something he did very often.

"What's so funny?" Kate asked as she entered the open bedroom door. She held a tray with two large plates of food and Henry followed with a tea tray.

"Oh, nothing you would understand," Magnus joked.

"It's nice to see you… being you." Henry said with a grin that Will couldn't call anything but wolf-ish, he just had that look about him. He was glad he had never slipped up and told him that though, he was fairly certain he wouldn't appreciate it.

"It's nice to _be_ me." She told them with a relieved smile.

She took the bowl of food gratefully and they both ate and talked to the others between mouthfuls. They discussed whether Helen had heard of the Arachna-Scarda before. She had – of course – she seemed to have heard of every abnormal… They asked how long she thought it would take for the anti-dote would work but even she didn't seem to know.

It didn't take long for them to finish eating and even drink their tea – or maybe it did but the time flew by and he tried to enjoy every second of having Magnus back. He was sure his heart was still racing after having to search for her; so many terrible scenarios had played in his head… Magnus jumping off the north tower, getting hold of a gun… the list goes on.

"Will," he must have zoned out as when he looked up the room had emptied along with their food bowls and mugs.

"You okay?" She asked tilting her head to the side. He stared for a few seconds at the adorable sight and tried hard not to smile but it tugged at the corner of his lips unbidden.

"You look so…" He shook his head, he couldn't tell her that! "Yeah I'm fine, just thinking."

"Look what?"

"You would _kill_ me if I told you…"

"You needn't be worried about me… It's _her_ you need to worry about." She waved her bandaged arms in the air for effect.

"I just thought when you tilted your head like that… you looked rather adorable." He admitted with a smirk and she frowned. "It's a compliment, I promise." He reached out his hand for hers but she playfully swatted it away. "Oh, you are okay if I go rest over there then?" He made as if to get off the bed but she grabbed his hand and yanked him back. When he looked at her face and saw she was actually scared - he quickly reassured her he was going nowhere.

"Thanks Will," she lifted his hand and kissed the back of it. "Dear God I hope I'll be better by tomorrow. I really don't know how much longer I'm going to be able to fight this thing." She sighed heavily. "It's a constant niggle in the back of my mind at the moment,"

"Should we find a way to distract it?" He asked her seriously. She gave him a sly look that took him a few minutes to understand. "No – no I was _not_ hinting at _that_ kind of distraction…" Images of the kind of distraction she was subtly hinting at suddenly flashed in his head and he quickly rubbed his face trying to remove them.

"Sorry," she giggled. No really, she _giggled._ "Maybe the drugs make _me_ loopy too?" She asked, he could tell she was trying to defuse the situation.

"Quite possibly," he answered, now rather distracted himself. She caught his eyes and stared at him until he stopped fidgeting.

"I should let you sleep again," he moved towards the window seat but paused and looked over at her. She pouted ever-so-slightly and he sighed. "You really need to stop that…"

"Stop what?" She asked, blinking innocently up at him as he turned and approached the bed. He growled in his throat. She knew very well what he meant.

**TBC.**


	7. Epilogue

A/N: OK seriously muse? SEVEN chapters…? That is 4 more than I had expected to write for this story. Brilliant.

..

_Four Days Later (well, very late on the fourth day anyway)!_

..

"Will?" He rolled over almost falling out of bed.

"Uh," he mumbled in return. Was that Magnus? He looked around bleary eyed. This was his bedroom… He switched the bedside lamp on.

"Sorry for waking you…" She didn't seem very sorry though and she continued to move closer to his bed. "It's just… I'm still trying to piece together the first couple of days." _Oh boy._

Once the anti-dote began kicking in on the third day she bounced right back to her independent self, but unfortunately even though she was herself again her memories were only slowly beginning to return. He could tell it was irritating her.

"Oh…" He sat up in his bed and she sat on the very end of it.

"I just… I feel so silly saying this… But I feel like I remember waking up to… Well… You. In bed. With me." She told him haltingly and even laughed at herself as if it were a joke.

He knew he could just be kind and let her forget the awkward and needy Magnus that she had been while sick… He was a terrible liar though and if she could tell he was lying when she was _crazy_ then she would most definitely be able to tell now.

"Well… you did insist I lay next to you. You were much calmer with me around." He shrugged as if it were no big deal… But he kept thinking back to the way she had teased him… He shook his head to clear the memories. It could have just been wishful thinking on his part, or maybe lack of sleep… Could he have hallucinated those memories? 

"Ah, I see." She tilted her head as if thinking. "You called me adorable!" She pointed her finger at him accusingly. Obviously tilting her head had brought back the memory.

"Err… yep." He answered awkwardly a blush rising to his cheeks. Her eyes suddenly widened and he could almost _see_ her memories flooding back.

"Oh Will… Dear God. Did I actually say that? Did I actually _do_ that?" He couldn't tell if she wanted to laugh or cry but she pressed her lips together and then of all things she _licked_ them! And not just an everyday wetting your lips kind of lick but a slow and purposeful _lick_.

"Hey – hey… _hey!"_ He shook his head. "None of that!" He tried to move further away from her but the wall behind his bed got in the way of his reverse shuffling.

"Sorry, just testing." She said and stood with a grin. "Good boy," she came over and patted him on the head. "I'm far too old for you anyway."

"No it's not…" he trailed off. "It's not the age thing."

"Oh?" Did she really want him to answer? She stood staring at him and he wanted to fall right through the floor. Why couldn't he have just let her walk out? Why did he say anything at all?

"It's the professional thing… the respect thing… You know?" He sounded so idiotic right now but then really who could blame him? He glanced at his clock. It was 2.00am in the morning…

"Yeah, I know Will," she answered softly. "I _really_ do understand." She walked to the door but before leaving called a goodnight over her shoulder.

What the hell had she meant by all of that? She _really_ understood? He knew he had been trying to tell her he was most-definitely attracted to her and in any other situation he would have jumped her bones… But what was she saying? That she felt the same?

He snuggled back into his sheets and allowed himself a small smile…

**The End**

**Yep really... The END! Finally, thank GOD I got that one out. It took me a day and a night to write that (with the whole real-life thing in-between) my muse would NOT shut up. Finish it, finish it, finish it… Pull the car over and note THIS down… Make sure you add **_**this**_** in. Jesus. Looks like I may have a couple of one-shots on the way too. *sigh***


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